Advice on buying a 24+ inch gaming/general use monitor (for under CAD 500)

phyneas

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Nov 18, 2011
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I haven't bought a monitor in 5 years, so I've been doing my research on what is available, who the best companies are and so on. I have been looking on Newegg, NCIX, Amazon, BestBuy, Staples, TigerDirect (I'm in Canada) at the different monitors that are available, as well as monitor review sites. Each site seems to have a different opinion about what the better monitors are, I can't really find a consensus pick, and there are so many different choices available now I don't really know what criteria to use to narrow them down, so I thought I'd ask the community to see if you can help me.

I am currently using an Asus PA246Q which has served me well but is conking out (no warranty at this point and the model isn't in production anymore), so I am thinking about upgrading. It is a 24 inch 1920x1200 monitor and I've gotten used to 16:10. I've been looking at what is available in 16:10 and there doesn't seem to be much apart from this generally well reviewed NEC monitor which is a bit pricey. As a consequence I've been considering 24 inch 16:9 monitors but I don't really like the 'narrower' look of it, so instead I thought I'd look at 27 inch 16:9's since they at least have more vertical room even with the extra horizontal.

My primary goal with the monitor is quality. I am looking for a 24+ inch IPS monitor that has a very good reputation for reliability and performance. I am not particularly interested in 4K or G-sync or 144Hz or anything like that. I use the monitor for gaming and media and general use but my gaming hardware isn't top-end so I can't/won't take advantage of any of that stuff anyway. Anything at or under 6ms is fine and I know that the contrast ratio numbers don't matter. I don't want to spend more than 500 dollars (Canadian) before taxes if I can help it, which is why the 16:9's are attractive since they seem to be slightly lower cost for the same or better performance. Should I go for 27 inches over 24 inches, does HDMI vs DisplayPort really matter (some of the Dell models don't use HDMI), is one brand or model generally considered to be better than the others currently; what monitors would you recommend?
 


In terms of 24in, I believe OP was looking for an IPS panel, which has better colour reproduction compared to TN panels which trade these off for faster gtg reponse times.
For $500 you can get quite good quality monitors.
Here is a WQHD 27in monitor from Asus, so you can RMA should you have any issues with it.
Currently going for 369.99 USD.
http://www.amazon.com/PB278Q-2560x1440-DisplayPort-Ergonomic-Back-lit/dp/B009C3M7H0?ie=UTF8&keywords=ips%20pc%20monitor&qid=1460418139&ref_=sr_1_11&refinements=p_36%3A30000-40000&s=pc&sr=1-11

If you happen to have the horsepower to run an ultrawide panel at 1080p, this is also a good option, going for around the same price as above.
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PB298Q-2560x1080-DisplayPort-Ergonomic/dp/B00EPY0HVY/ref=sr_1_13?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1460418456&sr=1-13&keywords=ips+pc+monitor+Ultrawide&refinements=p_36%3A30000-42000

Remember that if you can't run QHD with the above monitor, you can just switch to 1080p anyway, as it is the same aspect ratio. (Also it just so happens asus have great priced monitors! I'm not a fanboy I swear! xD)
If you need any more help don't be afraid to ask! :)
 

Patton2121

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Oct 20, 2015
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I agree that these are great monitors but he wants it to be under 500 CAD.
 


Ye I just updated my post a minute ago, editing now :)